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BBM for Android to Start Rolling Out Today in Google Play (Update: It’s Live!)

What an event this has been – the launching of BBM for Android onto Google Play. Back in September, the app was supposed to launch onto iOS and Android devices, but hanks to a pirated version of the app which apparently crashed the company’s entire server infrastructure (seriously?), they were forced to delay it. Almost a month later, they are ready to give it another go.

This is the news you’ve been waiting for! I am thrilled to tell you that we are about to officially resume our rollout of BBM for Android and iPhone customers around the globe!* In the next few hours, people will start seeing BBM in Google Play, the App Store and in select Samsung App Stores – where it will be free to download.

As you know, in just seven hours, about one million Android users were using the unreleased version of BBM for Android. What you don’t know is that more than one million people have found creative ways to “side load” BBM on their iPhone. This is incredible.

To help manage this unprecedented pent up demand for BBM, we are implementing a simple line-up system to ensure a smooth roll out.

It’s funny to see different kind of comments on different websites.
Go to crackberry and playstore, you’ll see everyone praising bbm.
Go to androidpolice or droid-life, everyone is booing bbm and using clichés like too late.

It’s just a matter of opinion and the imbecility of most internet users to try to find out something to vent their anger on.

chris_johns

well said…bbm was the one thing holding me back form the og droid…im glad with my switch to android and never looking back but sorely missed bbm…it was simply done right…no one else has done it right yet i am happy tosee it here….if i can ever get on the damn thing

MrBigStuff

Why would anyone want this?

dontneedtoknow

so I gave a question? What is BBM? like this app. how is it helpful?

FknTwizted

only reason i liked and i mean liked is that it was secured with pin numbers and not just a regular app that don’t have too much security.

Stephen Cox

BB needs to dump their OS and adopt Android, focus on producing high-end business-minded handsets for us people who like power AND physical keyboards, and run their services as apps that can be used on their handsets or others.

I have zero interest in BB as is, but if they did this, I would jump to them in a heartbeat.

Dave12308

Their newest OS is QNX based, which is arguably BETTER than Android.

Mike Hilal

OS to OS, yes…but their new UI is horrendous. The old one was 100000000000000000000x better, all it really needed was proper app support. Were they able to replicate that experience (esp the shortcuts, my god the shortcuts…) with the same level of app support as android they’d have had a winner on their hands.

FknTwizted

yeah hank the pirate is a son of ….. Shut your mouth!

Weber

Can we all just download it to try and crash their servers again?

Dre Fay

I’m down to try but something inside tells me everything will change and go wrong, like with the time/space continuum. i can see it now DC’s newest event “Crisis of the Blackberry Platform!”

Weber

I downloaded it. Took 10 minutes of a white screen for it to eventually tell me I’d get an email when they were ready for me. So much for crashing the party.

Dre Fay

AAAAAAnd waiting………

Dre Fay

Just got my email telling me i’m at the front of the line! Deleting now!

http://www.skial.com/ Tom S

I know people no longer care… But did people ever really even care from the beginning? I know I didn’t. I laughed at BBM when Blackberry still had a real market share.

Blue Sun

“This is the news you’ve been waiting for!”

Sorry BBM, that would be Nexus 5.

Playerski

and of course the server’s getting clocked and not setting up even after entering the info

So there’s a wait to even use this messenger? Another fail by Blackberry. Why would they state it’s available if you can’t actually use it today? I have to wait to be emailed by Blackberry? I’m deleting the app.

heath

they figured a 286 in saskatoon wasn’t going to hack it as a server bringing the (breathes deep) the 486

Who would I BBM? I seriously don’t know anyone with a blackberry, nor have I for 4-5 years. My wife has one literally for work email only, but she carries an android phone.

Tony G.

pfft, been had this on my blackberry storm. suck it losers.

Dre Fay

lol

Weber

I want to like this again. Signing out, upvoting as guest, signing back in. System fooled.

LionStone

Ha, nice! I still have my Bold as a backup, I should update it just for fun

Rand Paul 2016

Does this use your own phone or does the recipient need BBM too

George Fayad

recipient needs BBM.

Weber

Will it have support for my pager?

Synacks

died laughing

http://dasalehaus.wordpress.com/ Enzy

RIP Synacks

Guy Meatdrapes

this ^^^^^

Cowboydroid

Your profile photo makes it even funnier, lol

Aaron

Hate to be that guy but…”,but hanks to a pirated version…”

ToddAwesome

Hanks + Pirate = MOVIE!

Dre Fay

Very sneaky dropping in how much he like the movie Captain Phillips. Well played Tim but we see beyond your ruse.

guest

It’s live for me in the play store. I won’t be downloading it.

Dre Fay

…………… and scene! That’s a wrap everybody! Blackberry is back, time to pack up all this Android stuff and go home.

hc

Could someone explain how bbm is any diff than say just texting or the like…? I have never owned a blackberry but it just seems like their own text software, correct or what? someone knowledgeable plz elaborate…

Chris

its like Facetime but more dated.

hc

see i understand FT b/c thats a video chat platform…but bbm seems to be just text…

Weber

I believe they have video chat as well. It differs in that you can see if your message was delivered, read, and if a reply is being typed. It used to be cool when BB was still relevant. Hangouts does it now, though, and I’m assuming it does it way better.

hc

isnt there an app for that, likes hundreds of apps…

Weber

Pretty much, yeah. BBM was relevant about 4 years ago. Not so much anymore. Might end up being a cool app, but it won’t have the same functionality on Android as it would on BB10. So even then, it’ll still be kinda pointless.

marcus

i heard there was also like BBM groups or something… so it was kind of like a chatroom. (GroupMe app) I’ll download to test it out. Doubt I use it… as i only know 1 person with a blackberry and its provided by my company for work lol

Weber

I still have all of my old ones. I used to be a diehard BB user. The app was pretty cool back then, but it won’t do anything that Hangouts can’t currently do already (besides providing read receipts). I might still make a few people download it so I can try it out. I’m sure the girlfriend would love to see if I’m reading her texts and replying right away or ignoring them. Could be dangerous.

hc

only knock on hangouts is i gotta have G+ to send a photo smh wtf… i seriously dont like G+ but hangouts is growing on me

Weber

Once you get an Android, you have G+. I’m in the same boat as you – not a fan of G+. I only use it when I have to, mainly because no one I know is using it. The company I work for uses Hangouts to send messages between offices. Works for us, especially being able to message someone’s phone from your computer.

hc

i mean, the demand for it crashed the servers a couple weeks ago so its popular, im just wondering why…

Bryan

Or so they say. Pretty pathetic that it was crashed by any demand at all. It’s a messaging app, by definition it should be able to handle the load of millions of people using it. And why did it take so many weeks to fix it?
Really no surprise as it’s Blackberry and they seem to be unprepared for a lot lately.

Tyler Bowden

I haven’t known anyone that’s used BBM since highschool, but from what I remember each user had a PIN that you would hand out instead of your phone number. That PIN let you message them over BBM. You could also send files over it, so sending pictures with BBM was popular since it didn’t compress them like SMS does. The other big feature was that it was secure. Every BBM message went through RIM’s servers and I believe was encrypted.

It was a pretty powerful messaging platform for mobiles back when Blackberry’s were big.

If I have anything wrong on this correct me, I’m just basing this off memory.

LionStone

Yep that’s right. I remember having cool chats with all kinds of people all over the world…reminds me of G+ now, where all my content comes from all over. Except it was just messaging and sharing pictures.

Brian Ward

BBM is awesome because you don’t get TXT charges and the messages are encrypted. No one else does this on the Android platform. That is why BBM for Android is such big news. Unless its actually after 2011, or so.

bassman418

Well as far as not being charged for text messaging, it really doesn’t matter since every carrier has or is formatting to unlimited text and talk. With that said this is gonna use data…..
Just another way to get the few people who would actually use this on a daily basis to eat there data plan. (Unless their gonna only plan to use it while on wifi)

hc

if only we could get GV + hangouts + MMS – G+ === happy faces…

Mike Hilal

It has an FTP built in. No other messenger does this mobile. That’s the difference.

Godzilla

I ask this as a serious question. What does it do that regular text message apps do not?

AbbyZFresh

Nothing actually. It’s only for people that still depend on BBM at their primary texting app. If there’s any left in 2013.

George Fayad

It allows you to use blackberry’s messaging service. Its similar to iMessage with iPhones. you can see when a message has been read, while someone is typing a reply, and it doesn’t use your SMS messages (for users who don’t have unlimited).

Not a lot of people use it anymore, but i’ve got a few friends who still use blackberry, and there are still a lot of corporate environments where the work-provided mobile phone is a blackberry.

irongodkiller

lol a lot of apps do that now!!

Godzilla

meh

George Fayad

Its obviously not for everyone. Some want it, some don’t. Those who don’t apparently feel it necessary to beat it into the ground.

Godzilla

i wont beat it to the ground, im just not impressed by it.

Dave12308

You have to be familiar with it to understand why you’d want it. I have missed it since I switched to Android back in 2009.

tomn1ce

you can also send messages through BBM to people internationally without a international texting fee….

Dave12308

It sends the text and any attachments encrypted. You also do not need to give your BBM friends your phone number, so it is a bit more private. And finally, it doesn’t compress pics like MMS does.

George Fayad

so much hate in here lol. calm down people. if you don’t care about this, close the tab and move along.

AbbyZFresh

See ya.

MicroNix

OMG, *that* is what people supposedly have been waiting for? That fugly thing someone took the time to sideload? Woa ha ha ha! The Blackberry Retro Squad strikes again!

MicroNix

Didnt mean to be that critical. Not a fan of the uninteresting interface though.

AbbyZFresh

Don’t care. Hangouts will be my official Texting app from now on once the announcement comes.

Bella. I just agree… Richard`s bl0g is cool… last friday I
got a brand new Lexus LS400 after I been earnin $9245 this-past/five weeks
and would you believe, ten k this past month. it’s certainly the most
financially rewarding I’ve ever had. I started this 4 months ago and pretty
much immediately got me more than $72, per-hour. I use the details on this
website,, bay35.com

Dave

Cool story. Cool like a Blackberry strapped to a Nextel in a nightclub cool.

tomn1ce

Is that Ron?

Ben Murphy

In the words of JoJo… ‘You know you’re just a little too late.’ Don’t ask me how I know that

Chris

This has to be the first JoJo reference ever on DL…. you win the internet!

http://www.droid-life.com/ Tim-o-tato

I used to love that chick. I think I still do. I should tweet her creepy things. On it.

findjaysee

Because JoJo was relevant back in the day, just as BB was relevant BACK IN THE DAY. lolol

jak_341

That came up on the mp3 rotation today.

Devon

Well i’m sure there is a small group somewhere that is very happy about this…..

Joshyz73

Am I the only one hearing crickets?

Warwick

Gonna use it for the BBM style emoticons

Weber

Weren’t they animated?

Warwick

I think they were on the BB phones. Gonna have to hunt for the Storm at home. :p

Weber

Fired up the Tour and Storm 2 last night. They were less laggy than my GNex :/

mustbepbs

Who cares?

Jordan Harvey

Why is this even news? I don’t get it. Will anyone actually use this?

http://www.droid-life.com/ Tim-o-tato

Well, as you saw, Android users crashed BBM when 7 million of us were using the pirated version. That’s pretty impressive. Clearly someone out there wants it.

Chris

or RIM.. erm blackberry themselves crashed it or pulled the plug and made up lies….

http://www.droid-life.com/ Tim-o-tato

Meh, either way, someone wants it. Whatever.

Ian Smith

have fun with that, Timothy

Robert Macri

I’m pretty sure a bunch of people loaded it just to see what the hype was about, and then promptly deleted it.

Jordan Harvey

I guess I dont see any advantage too it. I haven’t even known someone to own a BlackyBerry in at least 4 years now (if not longer). I’d rather use Hangouts or just simple SMS.

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